Printing images or text onto flexible articles has long been performed using screen printing techniques. While screen printing is often accomplished by direct application onto the article, it is also done by way of transfer printing, where the reverse of the desired image is screen printed onto a transfer medium, and then transferred onto the article. In screen printing, a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate (e.g., the article or the transfer medium). A blocking stencil is used as a mask to block the screen-printing ink from being applied in some areas, thereby forming the final shape of the print. Multiple screens are used where multiple colors are applied to make up the final image. Each of the screens must be created before the printed articles can be produced. However, screen printing can be cost prohibitive for low-volume applications, where the cost for set up time and materials must be recouped over few finished products.
Digital printing is gaining acceptance as an alternative to screen printing, especially for low-volume applications. In digital printing, a printer (often an ink-jet printer) is used to deposit one or more inks onto an article to create the finished product. Because the setup is accomplished digitally, there is no need for customer tooling (e.g., screens) to be created before printing. As such, the cost for a low-volume run is significantly lower than the cost for a comparable screen print. However, printing to flexible or otherwise unwieldy articles is difficult or impossible when using such direct printing.